OUR PLACE IN THIS WORLD

In the late 80s, Christian musician Michael W. Smith wrote a song entitled, “My Place in this World.” As you can tell from the picture, many things have changed since then, but the question the song addresses has not. Most people ask it more than once in their lifetime. Some have answered by living a life that either goes with the flow or against the grain.

A Christian's place in this world is more complicated than the extreme of treating oneself to the pleasures that life provides or the opposite, which teaches that one should refrain from all of life’s gratifications. R.C. Sproul affirms, “The Bible sanctions neither monastic withdrawal from this world (John 17:15) nor worldliness (Titus 2:12)." To find the answer to life's most common question, one must not stop short of nor look further than the Scriptures.

The New Testament teaches that although Christians have been called out, they are to be witnesses to the world. They have been employed and deployed by Jesus Christ and have not been left without instruction, but have been given a specific task. The task is to be witnesses of who Jesus is and what he has said and done to those who do not know him.

The Bible also teaches that although there is not a withdrawal from sinful humanity, there is a separation from the values and lifestyles of these people. Believers must be careful not to let earthly pleasures lure them away from God’s intended purposes. According to R.C. Sproul, Believers should resist “…falling victim to its (the world’s) materialism (Matt. 6:19-24, 32), its lack of concern about God and eternity (Luke 12:12-21), and its pursuit of pleasure and status above all else (1 John 2:15-17).” Sproul also states, “Christians are to be different from those around them, observing God’s moral absolutes, practicing love, and not losing their dignity as bearers of God’s image.” Christ gave us a perfect demonstration of this during his earthly ministry.

Sproul, R.C. Christians in the World. The Reformation Study Bible. Orlando Florida: Ligonier Ministries, 1732.

"Quote" of the Week

"If you doubt, or disdain to know that God foreknows and wills all things, not contingently, but necessarily and immutably, how can you believe confidently, trust to, and depend upon His promises? For when He promises, it is necessary that you should be certain that He knows, is able, and willing to perform what He promises; otherwise, you will neither hold Him true nor faithful; which is unbelief, the greatest of wickedness, and a denying of the Most High God! -Martin Luther

DESIRING WISDOM

Our society is filled with ambitious people. There are some who work two to three jobs to make six figures while others who make that amount want more. When examining these people one must ask, what motivates them? It would be interesting to see how many have selfless intentions.

Often times, believers are no different from non-believers when it comes to being ambitious. For example, if we were to examine the average believers prayer life, would he or she spend more time praising God for who He is and what He has done and expressing a desire to see His will accomplished or would he or she spend the majority of the time asking Him for things that enhance ones quality of life.

Although believers are supposed to bring their requests to God, they must be careful not to spend the entire time praying for things that benefit them. Yesterday, I talked with our kid’s about Solomon’s request in 1 Kings 3. God gave him the option to ask for what ever he desired. He asked for wisdom rather than health and wealth. He did not ask for wisdom to make his name great, but to govern God’s people in a way that was pleasing to Him. According to Warren Wiersbe, “God was pleased with Solomon’s request for wisdom, for it showed that the king was concerned with serving God and His people by knowing and doing God’s will.”

The biblical wisdom that Solomon requested should not be confused with human wisdom that celebrates philosophy and rational thought to answer questions pertaining to the mystery of existence and the universe. Biblical wisdom is God-given and not man-centered. It is meant to produce humility not arrogance. Solomon requested something he did not have, but needed. He asked for wisdom because he knew that he had been placed in an important position and wanted to represent God well. His request also indicated his recognition of being unable to do what God had called him to do.

I told our kid’s that we have also been placed in an important position as adopted children of God and have been given the remarkable assignment of making Christ known where he is not. The problem is that we too are ill equipped. We are in need of God-given wisdom so that we can live a life that is pleasing to Him and represent Him to others.

Because people are inherently self-centered, their desires will naturally be geared toward things that benefit themselves. Ambition is defined as “A cherished desire” or “A strong drive for success.” The people of God should be ambitious for the cause of Christ. They ought to have a cherished desire to see people trusting in Him for salvation so that God can be known and worshipped. They also should to push for the success of His Gospel for His names sake. This will only happen when believers realize that they are helpless and profess their need of Godly wisdom.

Wiersbe, Warren. 1 Kings. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Cook Communication Ministries, 414.

"Quote" of the Week

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever." -John Piper on the supremacy of God in missions.

LEARNING FROM EXAMPLE

Hindsight is a gift, although we do not often use it. This is why history repeats itself. Douglas Adams once said, “Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.”

Scripture is filled with good and bad examples that believers are to learn from. The book of 1 Samuel is no exception. This book focuses on the lives of two people who are to be understood in contrast with one another. Saul was the current king of Israel, but David was to be the future king. Saul lived a life of disobedience and was an enemy of God’s will, while David was considered, “a man after God’s own heart”, and was submissive to His will.

Yesterday, I told our kids the story of how David spared the life of Saul, even though he had reason and was given the opportunity to kill him in 1 Samuel 24. We examined the actions of both men and learned how David's actions pleased God, but how Saul's offended Him.

We first discussed that David’s actions were merciful, while Saul’s were heartless. David spared Saul's life even though he deserved death for his disobedience to God and his desire to take the life of God’s chosen vessel. David’s actions are pleasing to God because we learn from the mouth of Jesus that we are to, “Be merciful, even as (our) Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

David was also submissive to the will of the Father, while Saul was submissive to no one but himself. When David was prompted by his own men to kill Saul, he responded by saying, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:6). Even though David was the king God approved of, he knew it was not his place to undo something He had done. He knew that God is ultimately in control and has a desire to see His will accomplished.

The final contrast in this chapter is that David left vengeance to God, while Saul did not. David knew that God would determine who was in the right and would administer judgment accordingly. He says, “May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you” (1 Samuel 24:12).

The lessons we learn, when reflecting upon this story, is that we are called to be merciful toward those who are undeserving and trust that God’s will is perfect and that he will deal with injustices in an ideal manner. Let us not simply be hearers, but followers of David's example, so the redundant cycle of disobedience does not continue with us as it does with Saul.

"Quote" of the Week

"God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he; (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and (3) directs them to fulfill his purposes." -Wayne Grudem on the providence of God

BEING AN "ON MISSION" CHURCH

Many have heard the word "mission" in association with Christianity, but have never had it explained to them and have been left with a vague concept. To be "On Mission", a church must understand and adopt the specific assignment that Christ has given that is found in Scripture. Yesterday, I discussed four keys of preparation for the mission that are found in Acts 1:1-8.

The first key is understanding the message of the mission. The message is all that Jesus has said and done found in the Gospel's through the first part of the book of Acts. His deeds include His incarnation, life, death, and resurrection. His doctrines include His teachings about himself, the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Kingdom of God. The message is essential because it justifies the actions of God's people. For example, why would a missionary move his family to a dangerous area of the world? Because what Christ has said and done provides hope to all peoples of the world.

The second key to preparing for the mission is to receive the power of the mission. The Holy Spirit is God's empowering agent and is emphasized because if God's people were left alone to complete this extraordinary task, God's mission would be in jeopardy. The Apostles are told in Acts 1:4 to wait on the Holy Spirit because the work cannot be completed without Him.

Third, is to become the instrument for the mission. Believers, like Jesus' apostles before them, have been called out of the world to be witnesses to the world. It is important that the people of God understand that they have not only been saved from sin and death, but saved for God. Forgiveness is not an end, but a means to an end. Believers have been forgiven so they will make much of God by worshiping Him and representing Him to the world.

The fourth and final point of preparation is to target the world for the mission. The end of Acts 1:8 clearly indicates that our Lord wants to be known and worshipped among the nations. No one people deserve preferential treatment because it is not about us. The Gospel is God-centered and is to make His name great. The way believers do this is by seeking out worshipers of Him throughout the world.

As believers understand the mission Christ has left the church, may they set their mind toward preparing for and partaking in the mission. May the church avoid becoming preoccupied with things they are not called to be preoccupied with, but may they instead take the message of who Jesus is and what He has done, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to people that do not know Him for their joy and for His Glory.

"Quote" of the Week

"I do not intend to spend any time at all proving to you the general truth that God is sovereign in His world. There is no need; for I know that, if you are a Christian, you believe this already. How do I know that? Because I know that, if you are a Christian, you pray; and the recognition of God's sovereignty is the basis of your prayers. In prayer, you ask for things and give thanks for things. Why? Because you recognize that God is the author and source of all the good that you have had already, and all the good that you hope for in the future. This is the fundamental philosophy of Christian prayer. The prayer of a Christian is not an attempt to force God's hand, but a humble acknowledgement of helplessness and dependence."

-J.I. Packer

HOW SHOULD WE THINK ABOUT...

When it comes to explaining miracles, there are two extremes to avoid. The first is to explain them away. Many who claim to be Christian have embraced either the ethical teachings and/or the historical accuracy of the Bible, but have excluded the supernatural elements. Thomas Jefferson removed the miracles from the Bible and focused solely upon the honorable teachings of Jesus compiling his own, Jefferson Bible. In one of his many letters to John Adams, he affirmed, “And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable… But may we hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with this artificial scaffolding.”

The other extreme is to believe that miracles are God’s normal and preferred way of doing things. Many have taught that one should simply expect and plan for miracles to happen and not be surprised when they do. This is definitely a safer association for evangelicals, but is still incorrect.

Before one can discuss how common or infrequent miracles are, he or she must be able to distinguish between a miracle and a natural occurrence. Wayne Grudem defines a miracle as, “A less common way of God’s working in the world.” Many believe and teach that miracles are more frequent because they categorize certain occurrences as miraculous that are not. Miracles are exceptions to the natural laws. That being said, events such as child birth, answered prayers, or coming back from way behind to win a ball game would not always be considered miraculous because they may not have taken place outside the realm of natural law.

However, there have been some key occurrences within history that do fall into this category. In fact, some of the most important events in Christian history are considered miraculous. God creating something from nothing, the incarnation, the resurrection, and Pentecost are miraculous events that one could not deny without rejecting the Christian faith altogether. According to R.C. Sproul, “Belief in the miraculous is integral to Christianity. Jesus’ incarnation and resurrection are the two supreme miracles of Scripture, defining the Christian faith. No one can refuse Jesus’ life or His resurrection without refusing the faith itself.”

To believe that God, who determined natural laws during his miraculous act of creating something from nothing, is bound by those laws and unable to work outside the bounds of those laws is truly illogical. According to Sproul, “There is nothing irrational about believing that God who made the world can intervene creatively in it at any time; in truth, it would be irrational to believe in any other God. Not faith in the Biblical miracles, but doubt about them, is unreasonable in the end.”

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 356.
Sproul, R.C. Miracles. The Reformation Study Bible. Orlando, Florida: Ligonier Ministries, 503.

"Quote" of the Week

"God is moving with infinite wisdom and perfect precision of action. No one can dissuade Him from His purposes; nothing turns Him aside from His plans. Since He is omniscient, there can be no unforeseen circumstances, no accidents. As He is sovereign, there can be no countermanded orders, no breakdown in authority; and as He is omnipotent, there can be no want of power to achieve His chosen ends. God is sufficient unto Himself for all these things." -A.W. Tozer